Shannon Hill was appointed a conservator without the opportunity to attend a court hearing. / Dipti Vaidya / The Tennessean

Written by

Walter F. Roche Jr.

The Tennessean

Shannon Hill says much of the past two years of her life has been unbearable. Even the most basic of decisions about her daily life were taken away.

“I was told that I couldn’t buy a new book unless I sold an old one,” Hill said.

Hill, 67, was placed in a court-ordered conservatorship in 2009, although she says she had never set foot in the Nashville courtroom where her fate was decided.

Her attempt to regain control of her life comes amid increased public attention on the Tennessee law governing conservatorships. A major rewrite of the statute was approved by the legislature and now awaits Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature.

The bill sets new notification and hearing requirements for conservatorships, meaning someone like Hill would have to be given an opportunity to be heard in the courtroom. The new provisions won’t affect Hill’s case, however. They apply only to cases initiated after July.

Hill, who lives at an independent living facility, complains that her life “has been one misery after another.” Her condominium and two cars were sold. And she said all aspects of her life are controlled by her conservator and cousin, Kathy Mangrum.

Mangrum has filed a request to be removed as Hill’s conservator, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Probate Judge David Randy Kennedy’s court.

Reached by phone, Mangrum referred questions to her attorney Jennifer Sheppard, who filed the motion on her behalf. Sheppard did not respond to a request for comment, but the motion cites increasing conflict between Hill and Mangrum as the reason.

A court-appointed attorney, meanwhile, has said he found no issue with Mangrum as the conservator and recommended that Hill should have some of her rights restored but remain in a conservatorship.

Hill was placed in a conservatorship Oct. 20, 2009, after Mangrum and a now deceased family friend petitioned the court, contending Hill was incapable of taking care of her health, finances and personal needs.

John Kitch, an attorney appointed by Kennedy to look into the case, recommended that Magnum and the family friend be appointed. Kennedy agreed.

At first, Hill said, she had no problems, but that changed abruptly when Mangrum took over as her sole conservator in March 2011.

Commitment fails

Hill said that in January, after a doctor’s visit, Mangrum unexpectedly took her to the Vanderbilt Medical Center and tried to get her committed.

According to medical records of the visit, Vanderbilt staffers concluded that Hill shouldn’t be committed and they questioned why she was in a conservatorship.

“It is not clear as to why the (patient) requires a conservator at the current time,” Hill’s medical record states.

The report also states that Mangrum refused to take Hill home, so Vanderbilt staffers called and paid for a cab.

Kitch, who was assigned by Kennedy to reassess Hill’s condition early this year, concluded that Mangrum should be relieved of her duties as requested but wrote that there was “no indication that Ms. Mangrum has been anything but faithful in the performance of her duties.” He noted that Hill “expressed that she was fully capable of handling her own affairs.”

Kitch, however, recommended that another conservator be appointed and that arrangements be made for Hill to attend the hearing. He also suggested that some of her “rights be restored, such as the ability to have some monthly money in the $200 to $300 range for incidentals and discretionary spending.”